Chaeles e



(No Model.) I

O. E. SBABURY.

FIRE'ESOAPE.

ted 0G1 10, 1882. 47 5,

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES SEABURY, OF STONY BROOK, NEW YORK.

Fl RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 265,877, dated October 10, 1882. Application filed February :28, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom 26 may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. Scanner, of Stony Brook, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a front elevation of my improvement, shown as applied to a building. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, the building being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of an addition to the tireescape.

The object of this invention is to facilitate the descent of people from the upper stories of buildings when the ordinary passage-ways become impassable.

The invention consists in a fire-escape constructed with a shaft, a flexible ladder connected with the shaft, guy-ropes connected with the flexible ladder by brace-r'opes to steady the ladder, and a hauling-rope'for drawing out the ladder, and also in the combination, with the shaft and the flexible ladder, of

a guy-rope and inclined brace-ropes, whereby the said ladder can be held firm and. steady, as will be hereinafter fully described.

A is a shaft or ieel, which is pivoted to bearings attached to a window frame upon the outer or inner side, as may be desired.

To the shaft A is attached the end of a wire rope or chain ladder, B, of sufficient length to reach from the window to the ground.

To the shaft A is also attached the upper ends of two wire ropes, O, to serve as guys, and which are connected with the wire ropes of the ladder B by smaller wire ropes, D. The brace-ropes I) are arranged with their outer ends farther from the shaftA than their inner ends, so that when the guys O are drawn taut the brace-ropes D will hold the ladder B firm and steady. The outer ends of the guys O are designed to be secured to rings E, attached to the curbstones or to other suitable supports. The outer ends of the guys 0 may also be provided with cords and sheaves F for convenience in drawing the said guys taut.

To the outer end of the ladder B can be attached a hauling-rope, G, of such a length as to reach tothegroum1,and which can be thrown out by those who have not sufficient strength to unwind the ladder B, so that the said ladder B can be drawn out by people outside the building. V

To the upper part of the window-frame is attached the upper end of a guy-rope, H, the lower end of which is secured to a ring, E, or other suitable support.

Upon the rope H is placed a ring or pulley, I, to which is attached a rope or strap, J, to be secured around the waist of a person or around any valuable obj -ct to be lowered.

To the ring or pulley l is also secured the end of a rope, K, which passes around a pulley, L, secured to the upper part of the window-frame. The rope K is made, of such a length that both ends will reach to the ground while its middle part is around the pulley L.

'ith this construction a person can secure the rope or strap J around his waist and can lower himself by taking hold of the rope K, or can be lowered by others standing upon the ground and taking hold of the said rope K.

The ropes H K are designed to be used in connection with the ladder B by those who are too timid to use either alone, and who can thus be steadied and supported while descending the ladder B. I am aware, however, that this device is old, and therefore lay no claim to it.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A tire-escape constructed substantially as herein shown and described, and consisting of the shaft A, flexible ladder B, the guy-ropes G, the brace ropes D, and the hauling-rope G, as set forth.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the shaft A and flexible ladder B, of the guyropes O and inclined brace-ropes I), substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the said ladder can be held firm and steady, as set forth.

CHARLES E. SEABURY.

YVi tnesses:

JAMES T. GRAHAM, G. SEDGWICK. 

